Nice Try, Lefties

If only those right-wingers had stifled their dissent and let that nice President Obama pass his legislation without any hassle, while saying "please" and "thank you," Congressman Giffords wouldn't be lying in a coma today.

Or something like that. From the National Post:

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik had just finished praising Gabrielle Giffords as "one of the nicest human beings on the planet" when he delivered a stunning broadside attack on America.

"I think it is time as a country that we need to do a little soul searching," said the 74-year-old sheriff. "When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths, tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. Unfortunately, Arizona has sort of become the capital, the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.

"There's reason to believe that this individual may have a mental issue. And I think people who are unbalanced are especially susceptible to vitriol. People tend to pooh-pooh this business about all the vitriol we hear inflaming the American public by people who make a living off of doing that. That may be free speech, but it's not without consequences."

The soul searching began immediately. Under a headline "Bloodshed puts new focus on vitriol in politics," The New York Times said the shooting was likely to start "a wrenching debate over anger and violence in American politics."

"Shooting spotlights political climate," said the Washington Post headline over a story that talked about elected officials deserving better "than the routine demonization that has become so commonplace in politics today."...

You can bet that had the shooter been a Muslim and the target a Republican, you would not be hearing any of this nonsense.

Update: A lunatic goes on a shooting spree and the left adds insult to injury by scapegoating the right.

Update: The left has a long history of "willful misunderstanding."

Update: Roger Kimball on the left's opportunism:

Partly it’s an opportunity to demonize conservatives: that’s the Krugman, Daily Kos strategy: pretend that when Sarah Palin publishes a map with crosshairs denominating possibly vulnerable Democrats it is oh, so much more “toxic” (a new favorite word) than when the Democratic Leadership Committee publishes a map with little bull’s eyes targeting possibly vulnerable Republicans.

Yup.

Update: The WaPo milks it for all it's worth.